The invention relates to an article carrier produced for packaging a plurality of articles, for example bottles. More particularly the invention relates to a carrier of the top gripping type which attaches to the tops of the articles thereby securing the articles in an array.
It is known to provide top gripping carriers which comprise so called sunburst apertures having a series of circumferencially arranged tabs which enable the bottle top to pass through the apertures which tabs engage on the underside of a bottle top or on the flange of a bottle neck to prevent the removal of the bottle from the aperture. A problem arises when such sunburst type apertures are used for bottles, in particular when the location in which the tab engages the underside of the bottle top is high up on the bottle neck. This creates a carrier that is unstable. Further, the tabs are weakened by the unstable nature of the bottles within the carrier so reducing its effectiveness.
A further problem is that a top gripping carrier needs to be of sufficient strength to support the bottle especially where the bottle is large or if the bottles to be packaged vary in size. One example of a top gripping carrier is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,528,697 which shows a carrier for gripping an article with a relatively narrow neck, so that the side walls of the carrier are parallel. This carrier is limited to the type of bottles that can be packaged, i.e. narrow necked bottles.
The present invention seeks to overcome or at least mitigate the problems of the prior art.
One aspect of the invention provides an article carrier for accommodating a plurality of articles, for example, bottles, comprising a top wall, a base and opposed side walls interconnecting the top and the base and one or more of the side walls is arranged in an acute angular relationship with respect to said base to form a tubular structure of trapezoidal cross section. The carrier is collapsible along a supplemental hinged connection formed in the base panel thereby to enable the carrier to move between a flat collapsed and a set up conditions.
Beneficially, the carrier can package a variety of article types with different shapes of neck. Furthermore, the carrier can be transported to the bottler in a collapsed condition to be erected easily during article loading.
According to one optional feature of this aspect of the invention, the hinged connection may be disposed at a location diametrically opposed to one of the four comers of the trapezoid forming the opposing hinged connection when the carrier is placed in a flat collapsed condition.
Optionally, there may further comprise an internal partition panel which is tilted with respect to the top wall to be collapsible.
Preferably, the top wall panel may comprise a plurality of apertures each of which has at least one foldable retention tab to operatively engage the underside of a radially protruding part of a container present in each of the apertures. More preferably, an internal partition may comprise a corresponding plurality of apertures aligned with the top panel apertures. Each of the internal partition apertures has one or more foldable retention tabs which passes through the corresponding top panel aperture to operatively engage another portion of the underside of the radially protruding part.
Each said internal partition aperture may be formed in part by opposite retention tabs of different lengths such that, in use, the upper edges of the internal partition retaining tabs are co-planar with the upper. edge of the at least one retention tab of the top panel.
According to another optional feature of this aspect of the invention, the base may comprise a plurality of lower receiving apertures aligned with the corresponding apertures of the internal partition and the top panel which lower receiving apertures are provided with stabilizing tabs foldably connected to the base panel to support a portion of the article.
A second aspect of the invention provides a blank for forming a tubular article carrier comprising a top wall panel, a side wall panel, a base panel and an opposing side wall panel hingedly connected together in series wherein the distance between the hinged connections of the base panel are greater than the hinged connections of the top panel. The base panel further comprises a supplemental hinged connection to allow the article carrier formed from the blank to be moved between flat collapsed and set up conditions. There may further comprise an internal partition panel hingedly connected to one of the side wall panels which internal partition panel includes securing means to be secured to the opposing one of said side panels.
According to another optional feature of the second aspect of the invention, the top wall panel may have a plurality of apertures each of which has at least one foldable retention tab that can engage part of the article presentation in a set up carrier and wherein said internal partition comprises a corresponding plurality of apertures to be aligned with said top panel apertures when the carrier is in a set up condition, each of which has at least one foldable retention tab which is capable of passing through the corresponding top panel aperture to operatively engage a portion of this article. Optionally, said aperture is divided in part by opposite retention tabs of different lengths such that, in use, the upper edges of the said internal partition retaining tabs are co-planar with the upper edge of said at least one retention tab of said top panel.
The base may comprise a plurality of lower receiving apertures with stabilizing tabs foldably connected to the base panel thereby to support a portion of the article held in a set up carrier.
A third aspect of the invention provides a package comprising a plurality of articles in a grouped arrangement and an article carrier defined m any of the preceding paragraphs.